Former Marlins CEO Derek Jeter's surprising departure from Miami reportedly had an underlying impact on Nicholas Castellanos's free agency. Castellanos ended up signing with the Philadelphia Phillies. But there was apparently a good chance that he was headed to Miami prior to Jeter's resignation with the Marlins.
Phillies OF Nick Castellanos just told me that he thought he would be a Marlin until Jeter left Marlins. Jeter wanted him
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) April 14, 2022
The Marlins were rumored as a potential landing destination for the All-Star outfielder during the offseason. But the direction of their franchise was unclear which led to Derek Jeter leaving the team. Jeter reportedly wanted the Marlins to spend more in free agency, while principle owner Bruce Sherman did not share the same goal. This was likely the main reason why Jeter decided to leave Miami.
The Marlins did end up signing slugging outfielder Jorge Soler to a 3-year, $36 million dollar contract. Meanwhile, Nicholas Castellanos landed a 5-year deal worth $100 million with the Phillies. Soler is undoubtedly a solid ballplayer with plenty of pop. But Castellanos hit over .300 last year with 34 home runs and 100 RBI's. He was one of the most productive hitters in the game and the Marlins could have reached a little deeper into their pockets to sign him.
There is even a chance that they could have signed both Castellanos and Soler.
Instead, they decided against it and ultimately lost both Nicholas Castellanos and Derek Jeter in the process. To make matters even worse, Castellanos signed with the Phillies who happen to be in the same division as them. That means that they will need to face him a significant amount of times during the next five years, and Castellanos will likely have some added motivation after they decided against pursuing him in free agency.
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